PLD Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9: Building Upon The Knowledge Discovered in The Virtual World of Cyberspace Sub-Entry 81: "Lessons of Life, Self-Defense, Survival and the Grey Area Within": "...per your specifications, Bunnie." Lupe presented the massive, vaguely banana-shaped object. It was completely wrapped in white cloth and quite heavy. In order to lift it she had to use her Spirit Meld prism to merge with the spirit of a mighty gorilla. "It was quite a collaboration, wasn't it?" Bunnie accepted the heavy object and began unwrapping it. Asriel watched with fascination. The three of them were at Miranda City's outdoor target range. While I was still confined to low stress activity and lounging in lawnchairs until Elektra was comfortable with letting me resume active duty. And Command was certainly instrumental in keeping the wool pulled over the Council's eyes. "What is that, Miss Lupe? Sensei Bunnie?" Bunnie explained as the wrappings came off and the wooden object was revealed. To be very frank, it was less banana and more gigantic boomerang. "In Feudal Jang they called this a "hiraikotsu". Roughly translated...flying bone. It was a weapon used by demon hunters of days old." "Demons?" "Very unfriendly if not murderous evil spirits. Beasts of the underworld. They plagued humans and hybrids aliked in more chaotic times. The Commander has been to a world where such things are still a problem." She was of course speaking of Inuyasha's homeworld. Bunnie sighed. "Most of them couldn't be reasoned with. Couldn't be shown mercy. It was a brutal period of war and sin. I won't pretend to understand the toil and strife of that period. Into every era desparation breeds the moments where people decide they have no choice but to survive. But in order to prevent further bloodshed, warriors had to put the evil demons down in order to protect the innocent; the people who could not defend themselves." "Ohhh." Asriel definitely knew what she was getting at. "All living creatures have the right to live. But we should not have to live at the expense of other creatures. It's such a sad excuse to justify self-presevation. But there there is no honor in letting an aggressor species decide that we must forfeit our lives without resistance. The gift of life must never be thrown away so callously. Sometimes as much as we try to avoid it...it does come down between you and your opponent." "I know it's wrong to kill. But why do we? Flytraps swallow flies. Spiders catch insects in their webs and devour them. Cats chase and eat mice. Other animals fight each other to the death. It's so horrible." Asriel let a tear run down his cheek. "Even in nature, animals...kill for sustinance. It is a horrid, ugly truth but it is not without reason." Lupe acknowledged. "For intelligent creatures such as ourselves just as our animal brethren do...we hunt, we gather, we forage. We survive. But it should never be for sport. For malice. For no reason at all." Asriel nodded, wistfully. He looked like he wanted to ask about the martial arts' very contractive nature. Why fight when the goal is not to? "Life is a precious gift. One does not abandon it for no reason. That is self-defense. If you must fight a battle, if you do not wish to harm your opponent, then do not go on the offensive. But do not allow him to bring harm to you in the process. Block. Dodge. Duck. Subdue. Use pressure points. Take away their mobility without causing permanent injury." "When you said for no reason...?" Asriel picked up on what was graced over. "Making the Ultimate Sacrifice..." Bunnie sighed. "Truely the most heroic of deeds but...it is a choice that does not come lightly. Violet would say something like the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few...and then I'd have to thwap her for giving the Vulcan Hand Salute. But that said... I've often been quoted saying, when I've gone on the most dangerous of missions...if it is to be my time...I pray that it is FOR something...and not OF something. The measure of a hero is in the lives they save that will never even know of what they gave up so that they may go on." She turned to Asriel and looked him dead in the eyes. "But do not misunderstand. I do not wish for you to feel that being a martyr is the answer. I do not wish for you to try to be a hero if there is a better solution in the end. Making the ultimate sacrifice should not be callously glorified and should not be something to take pride in. It's admission that your journey comes to an end so everyone else's goes on." Bunnie didn't pull punches when it came to talking to Asriel about adult things. Talking to him as an adult; not talking down to him despite his young mental and emotional age. One-hundred and ten years is nothing if there has been no growth to speak of for a century. Really...talking to him about life, death, and sacrifice so plainly. I think she really understood the prospect of nipping his inner darknesses in the bud. For her, clarity of thought began at a young age. Asriel was fragile...but even a fluffy marshmallow could find its way into a tough outer shell to survive the must brutal opponent--life itself. We were all banking on him betting stronger than he thought possible. Bunnie located the holding strap behind the hiraikotsu and slid it over her arm. It was the most cumbersome of shields. But it wasn't just for defense. "No more talk of unpleasant things. There will be time to discuss them and decide where we stand on them. What shade of grey we consider acceptable. For now...let us see what we have crafted in action." Bunnie took her place at the target range where she had erected sets of bullseye targets. THere were quite a few of them. She gripped the strap of the hiraikotsu, drew the weapon back, focused all her strength and slung it forth with a mighty battlecry. The giant boomerang sailed forth, it's large size and propellor like nature, kicking up a small breeze underneath it. It scattered the dirt and dust on the ground as it indiscriminately tore through the clusters of targets in groups and continued its orbit back toward its sender. In a split second Bunnie snagged the weapon and then draped it over her shoulder. Sango would definitely approve of the Major's form. It was a flawless projectile attack. "Wow." "Any weapon is merely a tool. Neither good nor evil. It is all a matter of how it is used. Even something as deadly as a katana can be used to prepare a wonderful grilled Xingese dish on the hibachi. Yet a simple pair of chopsticks can rend a person's Jugular Vein and Caroted Artery asunder in the hands of a skilled assassin. I trust when you begin training with them you will use appropriate judgement." "Yes, sensei." Asriel bowwed formally. Sub-Entry 82: "The Rabbotou Legacy/Bunnie's Story": "That weapon looks incredibly heavy. Are you really that strong?" "For a simple throw like that, it takes a bit of spiritual pressure and inner strength. But if I were to have to use it for real...it would require more." "More?" "Young Asriel-kun. Many of us have revealed much about ourselves. Personal things. Things that go deep into our pasts...our very natures. Volt has already shown you his big secret. As has Scott. Perhaps it is time to show you mine." "Sensei?" "Lupe. If you would please." Bunnie cast off her gi jacket and trousers, leaving her one-piece pink bathing suit underneath. There was a wide belt around her waist. The discarded clothing had somehow folded up neatly in the air and dropped into Lupe's hands in a pile with her sandals landing last. "M-Miss Bunnie?" "It's not what you might think, young one. I trust I do not have to warn you about entertaining the same thoughts as Violet." "I don't know what you mean but I guess if you say it's okay." "This is only a preventative measure as I do not wish to visit Jonathan for unnecessary clothing repair." Bunnie closed her eyes and tightened her fists. "What the Vortex Laboratory did to her changed her. Watch and learn what she can do." With that the pink neon light carved its way out of Bunnie in complex pseudo-circuit tracks, dividing her golden sienna tan fur into patchwork as her eyes snapped open with piercing neon green light. And then the nanomachines began the transformation as her the circuits and nanowires and biomechanical began to overtake everything and and spread outward. Flesh and blood, bone and fur all became nanocircuit and complex machinery, micro-gears, pistons, and fiber optics. Nerve impulses became signals. This went far deeper than roboticization. This was a symbiosis of living tissue at an atomic level with technomatter. It was like no transformation anyone had ever seen. And yet despite it all. It was still Bunnie. She retained her powerful soul. Her mind remained hers. It was definitely the full cybermorph and not a partial. She wanted Asriel to know it wasn't just a single limb. This was completely inside and out. hen it was finished, Bunnie's form was sleek and shiny. Dr. Lynx's latest nanomachine revisions and program colony patches had made it so she wasn't just monochrome gun metal. Now her flesh and fur and clothing colors carried over into the metal; highly polished and lusterous and only the largest seams and sectioned joints really showing. The form was definitely larger and bulkier; it had to have slowed Bunnie's movemetns. But just looking upon it you could tell she was on a whole different level of power, strength, and defense. "This is my Cybermorph Form. A completely cybernetic body, inside and out. A form I control at will to any level. This is the power I was given.....the power I do not want that cannot be taken away from me." Bunnie's voice had a mechanical reverb to it both otherwise still felt pretty organic. "Oh my goodness! You're a superhero, too!" Those starry eyes. That expression of completely euphoria. There was no question. Asriel accepted the truth and embraced it. This was more of that pure admiration. Bunnie demorphed from ear tips to neckline, the machinery receding like something out of a Michael Bay's Transformers sequel. "Well. I would not entertain such egotism...but I suppose it does have its moments. In all seriousness...I am the embodiment of Jang's philosophy of blending the ancient with the modern. I practice techniques and disciplines which go back eighteen generations of my clan. And yet this nanotechnology within me...there's nothing more advanced known on this whole world." Bunnie converted her right arm into its arm cannon mode and unlocked the D-Chip selector drum, letting it rise out of the chamber and open its four chip sockets. Megami was immediately on hand with Bunnie's case of more than 64 D-Chips. Bunnie made her selections and plugged them into the sockets, retracted the ports and slammed the drum back down into her arm cannon, Omnitrix style. "This is a responsibility I don't take lightly. I defer leadership to our Commander despite multiple attempts to convince me to lead the UCIAT. But it is not my place. It is not what I was destined to do." Bunnie grabbed the grip of the rotary drum and twisted it, pointing the arrow to the approprate L.E.D. marker as the digital LCD readout displayed "Fire Razor". Bunnie pivoted sideways and pointed her arm cannon's barrel at the next available target down the range and sharpened her nano-assisted eyes before lightning up the weapon. As she ignited Fire Razor, a rapid-fire hail of crescent-shaped claws of flame seared out from the weapon in a sequential, clockwise spiral pinwheel formation! Like a tunnel of blades but made of fire, the fully automatic stream of projectiles poured into the face of the target, not just BURNING through it but SLICING holes through it, eventually carving a sizeable hole through the center of the target. Bunnie stopped firing and converted her arm back. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, bowwing her head. "That's...that's really...!" Asriel stammered for words. "You're so...so...SO COOL, SENSEI!" "Please. Go easy on the praise." Bunnie stepped back from the target range and demorphed as Lupe handed her back her attire. And in a coil spin of sakura petals she was clothed in gi and sandals and pink headband once more. "I'm glad I could finally be honest with you." "To thine own self be true?" "Wise words from Sally-chan." "So...there's more story to this isn't there?" With that, came the telling of the first part of the story. Asriel had heard the second part about Violet. Now was the first...where Bunnie came from. "Yes. I was born Bunnie Meiru Rabbotou to "Akira" Shiroshi Rabbotou and Anna May Fields-Rabbotou. Father was a proud Jangese who fell for mamma, a Southern Belle from a region to the south of Ecotropia's city kingdom capital. They moved to Jang and spent many happy years there. When I was born I was given rigorous tranining and teachings. I was instructed in the martial arts from the moment I could walk and taught to speak and write Jangese and Common simultaneously until I was fluent in both. From an early age I was a tomboy. I didn't like girlish things. I lived as though I were their son rather than their daughter but...Mamma insisted on a little feminine charm and those accursed hair bows I had to wear on my eartips. By the age of five our family decided to move to the Ecotropian capital where father would accept a position as General to King Maximillian Acorn; Sally's father." "Wow, your friendship goes back that far?" "Indeed it does. Father forged his own comradery with the king and his other two Generals--Amadeus Prowler and Pierre D'Cooliette, Antoine's father. They were like...the Three Musketeers." "The...Three...Mosquitos?" "Sorry. Three Musketeers. A fictional story about a close-knit group of swordsman friends who were rogue justice-seekers in service to the crown. I shall have to bring you a copy from the local library." "Okay." "Mamma was friends with the ladies of the royal court; her highness, Queen Alicia, Rosemary Prowler, and Anique D'Cooliette. While she wasn't much into croquet and tea time she had her moments where she could teach them the more...rustic facets of Southerner life." Bunnie was likely very pink in the cheeks from talking about such embarassing things. "And you, sensei?" "I was the new foreign kid. I asserted myself early on so that garnered a lot of attention while also spread the message I was not one to be picked on or bullied. But beyond that I was assigned to be Sally's personal "Lady-in-Waiting". That's...like a servant. It didn't mind. I was trained at an early age to be submissive to royalty and authority. But...Sally wasn't looking for a servant. She was more interested in a friend. And she tried so hard to get me to come out of my "robotic" personality and express myself. Be more outgoing. She did eventually win me over and I was slow and reluctant to embrace her own unique tomboyish ways." Bunnie's face fell. "For a while we were very happy and the days seemed to go on...but then it came crashing down the day Ecotropia was infiltrated and destroyed from within. Our family had one job to do; protect the Royal Family but...father was too late to save the King and Queen. I went on ahead, grabbing my father's katana before he could protest. I arrived just as the assassin had cut down Lady Acorn, drenching Sally with her blood. Before he could butcher the princess I took the blade and drove it through him. I had taken a life...but I had also saved one in the process. It would be some time before I could beg Amaterasu's mercy for what I had done. I had...fullfilled my family's duty to the crown and saved at least one family member." Bunnie was actually streaming tears but her voice remained steadfast and not breaking even the slightest. "In the aftermath of the city exploding, quite literally...I brought her to surviving members of the Royal Guard where my family entrusted them with getting them to Neo Arcadia's borders far to the north of Vorostov. Which we had to cross through." "Goodness..." "It was a long exodus in which droves of what survivors were left of the city suffered more hardship than was ever thought possible. In the time that passed, Vorostov had fallen under scrutiny for the mysterious destruction of our kingdom. But nothing could be proven. And things got worse when the Secret Society within their capital decided there could be no witnesses. That we had to be put in our place. It was the private security teams that rounded us up and stopped our progress to Neo Arcadia and brought to the illegal military laboratory, Vortex. There we would forced into our place as useful test subjects to be converted into bioweapons or euthanized if we couldn't survive the processes. And there we learned a new definition of cruelty." Asriel's expression got all the more sadder. "As time went on, father tried to organize a rebellion. He was close to his goal to unify us all in overthrowing our captors. But...an unexpected complication happened when I learned Sally had been captured and was to be a special test subject for a new kind of cybermorphic nanoplasm. I couldn't let the Rabbotou Clan fail our duty. So...I jeopardized everything and sabotaged the lab while breaking Sally out and recovering her "Royal Portable Mainframe" pocket computer. I helped her escape and I was united with a half-sister I never knew about. But then I was recaptured and my family and I tortured for information." "Oh no..." "When the director of the facility couldn't get our cooperation he decided to make an example of us. That...bald, bloated, handlebar-moustached...psychopath. He made father and mother part of a nanotechnology infusion experiment and made me watch every horrific moment. Nanomachine plasm strain 11 and 12 were used on each of them...and I cannot in good conscience describe the gruesome horrors that ensued as they were killed from the inside out. I watched as that madman grinned sadistically and whispered in my ear that I brought all this upon myself. ANd then I was the final victim. I would be getting Cybermorphic Nanoplasm strain 13." Bunnie's description...no...it was no mere coincidence. The director was our world's AU counterpart of that man--Julian Kintobor...Ivo Robotnik...or just Dr. Eggman. A couple of names, one identity. One this world...his AU counterpart had long since been sent to prison with more consecutive life sentances than history had ever recorded. It was said he met his end...quite gruesomely when even his intelligence failed against brute force after crossing the wrong inmates. Still...better than he deserved. Bunnie had the only kind of revenge worth seeking...choosing to move on and leave his memory in the past. Asriel was already in tears and looking a little panicked even though he knew the outcome of the story. "Fortunately...Sally made it to Neo Arcadia's borders in record time and...somehow called for help. The UCIAT Founders decided to undertake a black ops rescue mission. "Off the Grid" as they called it. THey couldn't allow even a word of this to leak to the public or it would be an international incident which would have made everything worse. So they secured stealth craft. Went into the secret facility. Freed as many as they could that were in one piece and in any semblance of stable. And then its founder chose to keep the promise he made from Sally's plead for help coupled with all of the information she had somehow smuggled out of the facility. The founders breached the main lab and locked it down while trying to shut down the machine that I was encapsulated in. That's when my story took an unbelieable turn." "What happened?" "None of us counted on the weather. A rare thunderstorm which seemed like the wrath of the gods itself erupted outside the facility. At the most crucial moment when Professor Arcade had successfully breached the security programming of the machinery with his laptop, a massive bolt of lightning struck the main power grid of the facility. I was caught in the circuit loop of the machine and the professor's computer as the nanomachines were injected into me. There was an explosion, blinding light and searing pain...and then nothing. The UCIAT founders endured the strike and managed to save me while covering their tracks and making sure the staff that survived would't be able to remember what happened. I was rushed to a medical facility deep underground in a safehouse. I awoke and my rescuers told me everything. And explained how I had been changed. It was a long process to learn how to be rehabilitated and learn how to control my powers. The rest as they say...is history." "That is some story, sensei. Yours might be the most impressive yet. So sad. It couldn't have been easy for you." "I do not yearn for an easy life, Asriel-kun. Only a just one." "I think I understand." "Thank you for hearing my tale. And being so accepting." "Thank you, too, sensei. For sharing it. And don't worry. If you need someone to dry your tears, I'll be happy to." Asriel reached up and wiped Bunnie's face, drying it as best he could. "I am forever grateful, Asriel-kun." There would be more target practice later on but for now Bunnie and I could rest easy knowing Asriel was not only accepting us but embracing us. Sub-Entry 83: "More of Violet's (FLOWEY CACKLE)-Posts and Memes": "Okay. I'll bite. Care to explain this one?" Violet grinned in response. "Umm...is it okay, Volt?" "Explain, Violet." "Come on. Don't you get it?" "I'm going to make this simple. Why is Asriel dressed up in a rusty brown cat suit?" "Just wait. It'll make sense. Hey, Scott! Are you dresed yet?" "This is...degrading, Violet." "We are SO going to have a talk about this." At that Scott came out wearing a short, mostly-balding dirty black wig, a ridiculous prosthetic nose extension, a single-protuding fake tooth, an ugly black, ankle-length robe with a conspicuous red patch on it and big ole red shoes. "Say your line, Scott." Vi prompted as Scott took his place next to "cat" Asriel. "I'll get you Smurfs! If it's the last thing I dooooo!" "......" I face palmed and suddenly felt ilke Peyo was rolling over in his grave. "Get it now? Because his name is--" "I get it but you can KEEP it." I groaned as I headed to the back to get the equipment Violet wanted me to pick up and take to her sub-lab. It took me a while to pack it all up in the crate and get it on the two-wheeled jack. I wheeled it back out. "Okay, Violet have "Azriel the Cat" get changed back into his normal clothes." "He's not Azriel the Cat anymore he's "Azzy Osborn"." She grinned as she pronounced Azzy with a long-A sound so it sounded like...wait a minute...oh gods... "Aunt Violet? Do I really have to bite a bat?" Asriel peeked over the shades while holding the fake rubber bat.. In the amount of time it took me to pack that up, Violet had gotten him changed into a costume of Ozzy Osborn from Black Sabbath. "He's just a little sin-namon roll, isn't he?" "Volt? What's...Black Sabbath?" I took a deep breath, counted to ten... "Violet. Assume the learning position." "Aww maaan." Violet frowned. Violet started to bend over-- "NOT THAT!" I snapped. Violet stood back up and took off her crown and leaned over. I rolled up a newspaper that Violet just happened to have nearby to use as a cosplay prop and gave her a pair of light thwaps on the head. "No. No." "Come on. Take a joke." "If I walk over there I'm not going to find anything objectionable on your computer screens, am I?" "Errr....noooo...?" Violet siddled over to the laptop where she tried to clear the screen of an MMD she had just made of Asriel, Frisk and Chara reenacting that infamous "Chocolate? DID YOU SAY CHOCOLATE?!?!" meme that she had lifted off of MeScreen. She put waaaay too much effort into exploiting the data I brought back from the Underground. Under no circumstances would I let her upload any of this to the Miranda Internet. Besides being completely insensitive to Asriel, it also felt like some kind of self-aware fourth-wall break like I had seen on far-more self-aware meta worlds. Again, I felt the ominous presence of Sans in the room. Or maybe it was the influence of that Merc with a Mouth I tried to avoid. Violet had history with meta-worlds. Her own counterpart from outside the UltraVerse was all about breaking that theoretical fourth wall, so it rarely surprised me when she implied things. Everyone else dismissed her ramblings as over-active imagination, bordering on madness. "Violet. You're the worst. The woooooooooooorst!" I rubbed my temples. By this time Asriel had instinctively chosen to get changed back into his ordinary clothes and waited for me at the Power Glove to sign out. "Anything ELSE you want to hide from our view, Violet?" "Why would you think that?" Violet looked up from the computer monitor which was displaying a side by side comparison of Frisk with Noodle from the band Gorillaz she had slapped together. Her meme had the very large caption. "Separated at birth?" Again. She needed to keep this stuff off the Miranda Internet. I was already failing at keeping our world secret from the Underground. Keeping the Underground secret from our world was not another failure I needed to add to the pile. I gave her a glare before Asriel joined me and we signed out together. We exited Computer Valhalla and went on our way. Sub-Entry 84: "Back to the Lab Again": Again Asriel and I had to suffer through another of Violet's themed entrances and WWE references. I had started to explain the concept of professional wrestling to him prior to this meeting. He wasn't into it. I couldn't blame him, in spite of reassuring him it was all fake. Although he did think John Cena was pretty cool. I'm not sure what to say to that. But if he started copying his "U can't C me" gesture, I was going to tie Violet's ears in a knot. "Violet skip the showmanship and--" And she was already seated at the synthesizer bank and banging out the Modern Remix of "Chemical Plant Zone" from Sonic Generations. :detemmienation: (Music Link) Again Asriel couldn't help but dance. "I know you're not encouraging her..." I face-palmed. "Look I'm waiting on Sarina to get back to me for an appointment to check Asriel's magic levels and mantra...or...whatever." Gods I felt like a such a dunce when I tried to talk about aspects of magic. "So can we make this actually painless for a change?" And she was already picking up a remote control and scooting over to a table filled with copies of Benjamin Javreti's toys made in Johnny Five's image; the lone Nova Robotics S.A.I.N.T. prototype to survive destruction. Okay that was partly true. I kept the body of S.A.I.N.T. prototype number four in the X-Vault on Mobius after I had Violet blank the EEPROMS and wipe the memory boards. In her opinion eleven million dollars worth of research and development was too much of a waste. She clicked on the remote and a boom box on the table switched on, playing a cassette tape of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by the California Raisins as the robots all sprung to life and did a synchronized dance to the music. Again Asriel was intrigued. :detemmienation: (Music Link) "Will you stop distracting my best friend for a moment and listen?" "But what's life without distractions, Commander?" "Safe and sane." I replied. "Just let me finish up here and I'll be right with you." Violet said as she switched the robots and tape player off and checked her blogs and message boards. Kuma slept nearby where Violet's GTR-084 CyberDrive Gauntlet was recharging and its holoprojector iris was open. Glitter's image was on the nearby workstation. On neighboring computers plugged into server towers were real-time feeds of Patamon and Gatomon interacting in a digital cyberscape Violet had linked to File Island in the Digital World. Violet had left the door wide open so we got a momentary glance of Gyro and Gadget passing by en route to the recycling sub-lab to raid parts to exchange with Vanessa, Queen Brooke's genius sister. A little bit more work on her side projects and Violet was up and about, opening the gate to the Supercalculator. "Not that I don't trust you, Violet...but I don't trust you, Violet." I entered first, certain that she wouldn't have time to go on ahead and set up an unexpected surprise. "By all means. Superior officers first." She let Asriel and I enter the hallway. The door opened and I stepped through...and stopped my foot in midstep. I slowly turned to Violet. "Violet...?" I started. "Yeeeeeees?" At that Asriel lost his balance and yanked me forward. "YOOOOOOOOU SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK...!" My scream faded as we fell straight down...... Sub-Entry 85: "With the Quickness" or "I Never Stop Rushing Because I'm...!": "OOF!" I landed flat on my face. Seconds later, not sure how I managed to hit ground before him, Asriel landed butt first on my back. And I swear I felt my heart jump out of my throat and then slingshot back down into my chest cavity. Asriel quickly got off of me givng me time to stand up. "She did it to us again!" I gripped my fists and stopped my foot in exactly the same way as Papyrus. "Where are we this time?" I looked around. Oh yeah. This was even more familiar than the Central Computer. I knew immediately where. "Quick Man's Stage. Mega Man 2." :detemmienation: (Music Link) "She likes putting us through video game simulations doesn't she?" "Too much for her own good." "Can we make it through?" "Well under normal circumstances I have a 99 percent success rate at making it through Quick Man's stage..." "But?" He could sense a 'but' coming. "But usually I have the Time Stopper and at least two other weapons before entering here." "And without them?" "Ten...percent chance of success, maybe?" My ears drooped "Are you scared?" Asriel was clearly shaking when he understood the situation. "Very. You?" "Uh-huh." "I know this doesn't help much but...do you know the meaning of the word courage?" "That's when you're not afraid, right?" "No, the REAL meaning of courage. It's like this. Courage, a noun. A virtue expressed during times of the emotion of fear. Courage exists when action is taken in the face of being scared. Contrary to believe it does not mean absence of fear. Only the absence of reciprocation from an otherwise intimidating situation." "You mean...?" "Yeah. True courage is to face what scares you." Asriel closed his eyes and tried to get a hold of himself. He was clearly scared out of his wits. "You ready for this?" I asked. "No. But as long as you're here...I'll be brave." Asriel looked up and opened his eyes again. And sure enough they had changed to orange. Ironically enough the color of Bravery. "Well. Your eyes changed color again. Orange this time, kiddo. The color of Bravery...or Courage. I guess that's all the proof I need." "I think I'm not surprised by it anymore." Asriel gripped his fists in that determined way like he was tightening his gi's black belt. We finally had a look at our surroundings. Silver and cyanish layers of sheet metal and machinery lining the floors and surrounding area. Ugly brown walls made of vent-paneling, overlapping layers of machine panels, and rounded square breaker panels with orange domes in the center; piping running up and down and sideways from it, wrapping around the vent panels in rectangular patchwork. It was quiet. Too quiet. "Well. Onward and downward." Asriel climbed onto my back and hung on for dear life. I dropped down the elevator shaft and landed on the platform below. To my expectation in the pitfalls in the floor lay a pair of Scworm automated pipe cutters. The elbow joints they spat out would sting like the dickens. I avoided them, deciding not to confront them. Another drop down let to a mini staircase that became an overhang. I was dreading what was next. "This doesn't seem so bad. Why do they call this Quick Man's stage?" Asriel asked in mid jump. And then that distinctive humming/whirring noise rang out as Asriel sensed something just graze the tips of the follicles of his head fur. "Eeep!" He yelped as the first of two death lasers streaked across the area, missing us. A second one seared past, coming even closer but missing, this time Asriel shrunk down a little squeezing his eyes shut. "I take it back! I take it back!" He whimpered. I steered us throught the paths landing on the platforms long enough to hop over the Springers and down the larger gap, ignoring the side shaft toward the left. We droped into an alcove where I immediately spied an E-Tank, a weapon capsule and a 1-UP in Mega Man's likeness. "That was scary, Volt." "Take a breather. That wasn't even the worst of it. Hold onto both of these for now. We may or may not need either. And if we do need either of them we'll never hear the end of it from Violet." I handed him the 1-UP and the E-Tank. "Okay...I hope this works." Asriel attempted the breathing/focusing exercise Bunnie had taught him then concentrated...and low and behold the H.U.D. appeared and he quickly accessed the ITEM option. Quickly the extra life and the energy can digitized into 8-bit form and reappeared in the inventory as mere text. I also caught sight of his cell phone, among a few other nick-nacks such as Lupe's flower crown, a thermos filled with Gadget's smoothie, and his Rabbotou Dojo training gi, folded up. "Looks like you're figuring out that power of yours, finally." "Just the ITEM one, Volt. The other two don't seem to work or they don't do much of anything." "Got your wind back?" A nod. "Okay, let's drop down." Asriel grabbed on again and I dropped into the rooms below. And the lights went out after only a few steps. I could smell something burning up ahead. And sure enough there were the Changkey Makers; robots with flaring heads like hibachi grills. And they were spewing massive flames. A nod toward us and the Chankeys--robot orbs wrapped in flames which looked like they had scowling faces and were wearing sunglasses--spat out in low arcs. Fortunately I was carrying a little something extra this time. It deviated from my usual weaponry but it would fit Lisa like a glove--the Ice Gatling. Exactly what it sounded like, a rotary machine gun that shot ice at full auto. Our resistance was quickly cut down. The lights went off and on as we navigated the lone patch of horizontal pathway until we came to the second drop off. And this I had very little faith in getting through in one piece. What happened next was quite a blur. It was one of those times I wish I had Sally's hybrid power of Time Perception Manipulation; the ability to change how I or others perceived time. Whether freezing someone's perception entirely such they they weren't aware any time had passed when she stopped the effect or seeing the world in "Matrix Bullet Time". That was one power I wish I had as a time traveler. Beam after beam after beam shot by us as I plunged straight down, the soles of my sandals barely touching the few overhangs and platforms along the way. I tried to steer toward the right but found myself zig-zagging back to the left and then the right again. I ignored the lone 1-UP that sat perched in the barrel of a laser path. I could hear Asriel whimper and felt him shuddering as he clutched tighter. And finally we landed on solid ground...only to be greeted by Walker Joes. Dr. Wily's sniper robots that piloted long-legged mech suits that made powerful, squashing stomp-jumps. I took the opportunity I could to freeze them to the ground where necessary and dive under them as fast as I could. I was quicker that the blue bomber so getting us past wasn't as much a leap of faith. And there were the gates. I charged through them. "Home free--" I stopped short when I realized. Sub-Entry 86: "The Quick and the Deadeye Shot": "Sorry, Commander. But you cheated me out of a boss battle last time. No freebies." I heard Violet's voice echo over the P.A. "I'm starting not to like you..." I growled. Seconds later Quick Man dropped down. Wrapped in maroonish red with heavy body armor that flared over his shoulders. He had a yellow boomerang across his chest, a yellow belt, and yellow knee pads. His helmet looked more like a baclava but with a distinctive yellow boomerang across the forehead that vaguely looked like horns at his unnatural high speed. "Scatter!" I dove in one direction as Asriel dove in the other. Quick Man shot straight forward, smashing into the wall...and kept running. Asriel looked at me with a confused look. "He moves faster than his visual circuits can process the information. That's a flaw his maker never ironed out. As well as the faulty hardware that should normally protect him against Time Stopper. But...that doesn't do us any good if we don't have any Master Weapons." "I didn't say you couldn't use Master Weapons." Violet's voice boomed out. WAT. My brain shifted gears without the clutch when I realized we had been hauling the entire MM2 arsenal all this time. Such a careless detail to completely overlook. "You are in so much trouble when we get out of here, Violet." I held up my arm and shouted out "WEAPON EQUIP: AIR SHOOTER!" And sure enough a blue copy of the Mega Buster arm cannon formed over my forearm. I took aim and blasted back with trios of rising tornadoes. Quick Man dodged most of them but one of them caught him and spun him around as he flew upward from the updraft. That ticked him off. I felt a retaliating swarm of Quick Boomerangs slice into my right shoulder, left arm, and right side. I didn't even see them leave his weapon, they were so fast. "Volt!" Asriel cried. Dammit. I realized Asriel was basically defenseless. If Quick Man suddenly went after him...! I kept shooting Air Shooter blasts until I depleted the weapon. I knew what his real vulnerability was but I didn't have much ammo for it. I'd have to even the odds. "WEAPON EQUIP: TIME STOPPER!" The cannon turned purple and the barrel was replaced with the face of an analog clock. With a distinctive SHING time itself stopped as Quick Man and Asriel were frozen in place. Little sparkles twinkled in and out of existence all around. That would cut his life span in half. Plenty of time for me to set up the Crash Bomber. The face of the clock began to darken in the form of a pie chart slice that continued to get larger as the second hand steadily progressed in its rotation. Once the second hand reached the 12 mark again, the energy would give out. I steadied to shout out my next weapon change the moment Time Stopper expired. And as soon as it did... "WEAPON EQUIP: CRASH BOMBER--" I suddenly doubled over as I felt Quick Man's fist slam into my stomach then his foot crack upside my jaw. The Arm Cannon turned pinkish orange but I felt it being jerked off my arm. I watched in horror as Quick Man cast it aside with a snide grin. It scattered across the ground, rolling until it stopped in front of Asriel. He muffled his whimper with both hands as he watched me get mercilessly brutalized. "Life meter's ticking down, Commander. Tick-tock, tick-tock!" Violet mused. Quick Man hoisted me up by the neck. "In this town, I am the Law." He taunted. :detemmienation: (Music Link) CA-CHAK!! "Huh?" His expression suddenly turned to horror as he heard the beeping coming from his back. And then he was riddled with explosions. "GAAAAAAAAH!" He cried as he lurched forward and dropped me. "You little...!" He whirled around in a surge of rage and stared down a very scared Asriel with the Crash Bomber loosely fitting over his arm, the barrel smoking. He struggled to steady his aim and squeeze the internal trigger. "I'm gonna--!" CHA-CHAK! Another Crash Bomber latched onto his right arm. This time the explosions ripped across his main weapon, rendering his Quick Boomerang inoperative. Quick Man zipped in front of Asriel in an instant. "You lose, little goat." He said as he prepared to swing but he found himself off balance. That was when he noticed his feet frozen to the floor. I gave Asriel a thumbs-up "Heh...heh...heh. Guess there is no law in this town..." He chuckled moments before one more Crash Bomb embedded itself smack dab in his forehead. With a final splash of explosions, Quick Man burst apart in that familiar spread of fireworks-style particle balls. "Well. You just made a new record, Commander. Though technically the victory is Asriel's." Violet clicked the stopwatch while in the doorway that just appeared on the other end of the room. The whole simulation faded to black and wire-frame before it dissolved to the familiar gate leading to the Supercalculator. "Violet. Assume the learning position..." "Aww..." Violet took off her crown-- "Not this time." Violet turned around and bent over...and about jumped as I booted her right in the rump. "Owww! That smarts!" "In a fair world that would be the only kind of smarts you would have." Sub-Entry 87: "Back to LYOKO": "Scanner: Asriel. Transfer: Asriel. Scanner: Gadget. Transfer: Gadget. Scanner: Mitzi. Transfer: Mitzi. Scanner: Pit. Transfer: Pit. Scanner: Skeeter. Transfer: Skeeter. Virtualization." This time Violet materialized them in the Ice Sector. They had been making great progress in LYOKO in each of Asriel's quantum scan sessions. :detemmienation: (Music Link) Violet had uploaded the handshaking protocol into her cerebrum in advance and she was already hooked up to the V.R. gear. Skeeter had gone along for the ride this time as their fifth member. His suit was almost entirely black with nothing particularly standing out save for the lone pair of black buckled bands around the upper left leg. But what did stand out was his giant halberd sword, magnetically clamped to his back, which easily towered over him in height. Violet didn't have to say anything. I knew the only profile data left for Skeeter to use was William Dunbar's. I wonder how Violet developed such a soft spot for such an unfortunate case? It was resolved, mind you, but...for someone who had...complications with friendships like Violet...something had to be there for her to connect so easily with the kids from Kadic. With Asriel, it was obvious. It was cut and dry. Two lonely souls. "Well. We know what to do, right?" "Not a problem." Mitzi gave a thumbs up. "Gadget, I reactivated Aelita's "Petrification" program. You can now freeze enemies in block of ice. It'll come in handy when you need a stepping stone." "Cool! I got a new power! Isn't that awesome, Asriel?" "Yeah!" A quick family hug. There was a suprising lack of complaints about the slippery ice and the cold weather. In my humble opinion ice areas were even worse than snow areas. Yet they all adapted remarkably. Asriel led the charge, relying on his swords' ability to cut down invisible barriers and his Triplicate power. Skeeter's halberd became quite the...ice- breaker. Pit had his time to shine climbing walls only his cat paw claws could scale; and he discovered his secondary ability to temporarily slow down time for short bursts, making vanishing platforms and quick enemies manable. Mitzi was fast to take out flying enemies with her Tessan Fans and she made short work of large rock barriers with her telekinetic lifiting. "That ledge is too high to to reach and too smooth for Pit to climb. And none of us can jump that high." When I thought about it, the idea of Pit climbing rather than flying was strange to me. But in his current digital form he didn't have his angel's wings. If anything his digital self was more human than angel. Yet the others' digital bodies didn't change from being Hybrids. Asriel didn't seem to change from being a Monster of the Underground. So puzzling. LYOKO was a fickle mistress when it came to deciding how to interpret living beings as quantum data. "I can't load my wings here, either." Gadget pointed out. "Hmmm..." Asriel crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side with a big-eyed but otherwise overly obvious look of contemplation. "Wait...that enemy over there...the one that keeps spawning in front of the overhang; the enemy that Mitzi and Pit keep taking out..." Asriel said as Mitzi and Pit alternated between Tessen Fans and Arrow Darts. "What are you getting at?" Skeeter asked. "Ohhh! I get it!" Gadget suddenly spoke up. "Why don't you try your Petrification on it and make a platform we can reach the overhang?" "I'd be delighted, Asriel!" And low and behold Gadget focused and in moments the lone polymorphic creature started freezing up in a block of ice from the ground up. It was such a simple problem to overcome, from a gamer's perspective. But the fact they solved it together with a newfound synergy and without an argument or disagreement in sight or sound... It reassured me. "Nice." And onward they went. Sub-Entry 88: "Violet's Analysis Reveals...?": Violet was ominously silent "Violet...when you're this quiet, I get nervous. It's...not natural for you to be this--" "I see. Interesting." "Vi?" Violet switched off communication with LYOKO at that moment. She didn't want Asriel to overhear. She raised the Eyephones visor, letting the purple glow in her Hybrid Power fade. "Each time I check him in LYOKO...the numbers...they change a little more. They change in a familiar pattern that I can't quite identify. It's on the tip of my tongue but I never put my finger on it. It's fascinating." "Vi...any clue to his magic deficiency?" "No. But I have semblance of a theory that might be related...but...I just never seem to have enough data to make a hypothesis let alone get anywhere NEAR a conclusion. It's probably going to take several more of these before I can take an educated guess." We were both without answers regarding the magic. I regret not getting advice from Sarina after all this time. "Speculation? If any?" "That'll be up to Sarina's analysis." "Then perhaps I may offer my insight." A new voice entered the room. Sub-Entry 89: "Dr. Nikita Katherine Lynx": "Gah! Dr. Lynx! When did you get here?" Dr. Nikita Katherine Lynx. Easily as intelligent than Violet. Maybe far more so. But by far much more of a straight arrow. Completely straightforward and lacking of any semblance of a sense of humor. Nikita was our dimension's counterpart to the artificial intelligence construct known as Nicole on the world of Mobius. But in all honesty, Nicole had far more personality than the good doctor. Unlike Bunnie, whom I had come to expect sudden appearances from, you NEVER saw Dr. Lynx enter or exit. She had stealthy appearance down to well beyond a science. "His xenomorphology has since been logged. Quite a fascinating species. He continues to display more anomalies than science can properly evaluate. I suppose that is why we entrust appropriate authorities to give their professional opinion on mysticism and sorcery." Standing the exact same height as Sally, with fur color only slightly darker but with patches of black wrapping around the tips of the ears, the hands minus the fingers, and the feet minus the toes; Dr. Lynx was...well...a hybrid lynx. Those distinctive three-pointed forks of fur from the top of her ear tips. The black face markings under the eyes similar to Lupe's wavy scar. Her very black hair was done up such that her bangs nearly covered up her eye while the back was done up in extremely long blade-like quills. The longest of which were braided up with alternating orange and purple beads. She was wearing a white lab coat over what I described as a "spiral-cut" pattern purple dress with matching purple, translucent stiletto-heel sandals. Her eyes were just as blue as Sally's but her expression considerably more dour. There was always something...off about her but it was overshadowed for her capacity for knowing anything about everything...or seemingly everything about anything. Multi-lingual, skilled in many other activities, and versed in more facts; Nikita often seemed more like a living encyclopedia than a person at times. Only Sally know her big secret--that she wasn't a Hybrid at all. She was a nanomorph. Made from the collective of Cybermorphic Nanoplasm strain X that Sally had been spared from when Bunnie broke her out of Vortex lab. Bunnie's sabotage had caused a massive influx of all of Sally's biometric scans. That, combined with the ENTIRE collective and A.I. of her Royal Portable Mainframe pocket computer--which Vortex's supercomputer was attempting to decrypt---caused all of that digitized bio-data to be imprinted on the nanoplasm. Somehow in that instance, an interpretation of Sally's very soul and genetic data was copied, randomized, and merged with it all. The final result was the birth of a new life unlike anything the world had ever seen within a completely artificial shape-shifting body. I had said that science had never succeeded at giving an artificial construct a soul. Nikita was the exception. As for the secret to her entrances...this was because she quite literally nano-assembled in an instant in such a way, withc such super-calculated timing, that it completely escaped everyone's view. She was just that good at calculating the exact instant no eyes would be on her and knowing, with total certainty, what her window of opportunity was. It was almost like she had an insight or clairvoyance like the Major's. Plus the fact that as a nanomorph construct, she could be in two places at the same time; serving as Sally's OGPX engineer when she competed on the other side of the world, while continuing her research in secret in her own version of the "True Lab". In the years that followed their escape Nikita had learned to devise hundreds of methods of simulating the processes and nuances of a living body; from 98.6 degree body temperature, to a pulse and breathing, to skeleton and internals so indistinguishable from real, organic versions that even Elektra and Velaska's complete physicals and various medical tests couldn't tell the difference. Even Bunnie and Callista's psionics couldn't tell she was a living presence in an artificial form. Admittedly...it would be some time, even from this point, before I'd learn her secret. When that became known, things would change. But not her acceptance. "What have you got, Doctor?" "First let me chastise Violet for her continuous insistence on being whimsical in a facility of science and insist she take her role more seriously. Second, let me get to the point. Asriel's initial scans three months back seem to indicate very little discrete substance to compliment his...ahem...unknown composition. That ratio has slowly been shifting." "What are you saying?" "Put simply the unknown component has slowly been...seeping out while it's being replaced by more of the tangible substance. And as it has done so, the matter component has been re-configuring into something more complex but overly familiar." "Are you going where I think you're going with this?" "There is insufficient data to substantiate that theory at this point." "What about the solar quantum computing?" "The...H.U.D. interface quantum code is quite remarkable. It's a scientific discovery of unprecedented impact on what we know as intelligent species. To think that it is a...and I hesitate to say so...naturally occurring phenomenon." Her explanation was so dry. I had to say something, even though it was probably rude. "Far be it for me to say, Doctor, but could you dial back the objectivity a bit and add a bit of personality to it? I never thought I'd actually want to hear some of Violet's colorful commentary. With all due respect, your explanation is a little dry and mundane." Dr. Lynx lowered an eyebrow. It wasn't her fault. Despite genius level intelligence and that she basically had a modified copy of Sally's very soul...her nanotechnology still had trouble interpreting the things called "emotions". And she had to pour a lot of effort into acting...natural. I just didn't know. No one but Sally knew or understood. Nikita brushed asside the suggestion, though. All business. No colorful commentary. "Commander Arcade. To be very straightforward, the code is evolving along side his physical form. However it has nowhere near the evolutionary potential as Colonel O'Conner's own Kabuki Quantum Fighter program. If my theory is correct it will reach its maximum specifications eventually and remain whatever form it takes from there on out." "And there's little more you can tell me about it, isn't there?" I was pretty much sold on her explanation despite how boring it was after Asriel's and my speedy adventure in Vi's simulator. Just because I had infinite patience and I actually could spend centuries watching grass grow doesn't mean I was unaware that it was boring. "I only have one last piece of insight after a lengthy discussion with Miss Kobayashi. While the concept of a "soul" is...abstract to me...I won't dispute scientific evidence proving its existence. But noting young Asriel's eye color changes, his most recent makes four in total. If what you've described is correct he has three virtues left to absorb." "Yeah. Justice, Perseverance, and the big one...Determination. The one that causes so much trouble for Monsters. Especially once they've fallen. I saw it happen to Undyne in Geneocide Timelines. I saw the end result with the Amalgamates. And finally...I saw what it did to......Asriel or rather the first Golden Flower that had absorbed his dust and Chara's blood. A horrible souless creature that answered to "Flowey the Flower". I said that so straightfoward. Yet Nikita didn't bat an eyelid from what I described. "I'm fairly certain that the quantum evolution and the final composition ratio will be finalized upon the final final virtue. What this will mean...is anyone's guess. But I can assure you that he's not going to metamorph into some other species despite your worries he'll turn into a human. And he's not going to simply cease to exist. What I do believe is that save for that eye color, I doubt he will physically change at all. As to when his growth process will resume...I have no answer to give." "Well. Thank-you, Dr. Lynx. Your explanation was probably the most help I could have asked for." Before we knew it Asriel and company had wrapped things up and keyed in the LYOKO password. The scanners opened up and our team was obviously tired out but in good spirits. "So...what now?" "I have...a suggestion." Violet mused. Sub-Entry 90: "Breakfast for An After-school Snack?": "Why are we back at Computer Valhalla again and at your Juice Bar, Violet?" "I figure we might as well treat ourselves to something that breaks convention after a hard day's work and play." "Well...I guess we could eat and drink. But--" That was when Violet rolled down a false wall behind the counter, revealing a whole line of bulk foods hoppers...filled with breakfast cereals? "Uh...Violet? What's up with--" I stopped short when I suddenly recognized the cereals and their respective labels in question. "Vi...tell me I'm dreaming. Are those...?!" My eyes widened. "Every 80's baby's dream come true, Commander." "But...but...these were all discontinued DECADES ago. How...?!" I was suddenly feeling my inner child awakening. "C'mon, Commander. Give me credit. I have my ways. And my connections." "Violet......this may actually be....the BEST thing you've showed me in a while..." I was finding it hard not to pant like a dog that head been exercising hard all day. And even harder not to drool. "Aunt Violet?" "Uh...are we having...er...another breakfast?" Pit cocked his head. "There's nothing weird about having breakfast for a snack...is there? I mean...wasn't your first meal in town pizza for breakfast, Asriel?" Asriel nodded, a little confused but indications that he was accepting of this. "Lucky." Skeeter pouted. "Live a little. Break convention. And serve yourself up some Saturday Morning." Violet said as she dropped a 4K monitor out of the ceiling and loaded up a playlist with every old school cartoon I could name. "So what's your pleasure?" She asked as she got the bowls, spoons, cups, and such readied. She checked to see if the milk and juice dispensers were good to go. I looked over the various hoppers of various cereals I hadn't seen or tasted in so long. Nintendo Cereal System; both SMB fruit and LoZ berry. Ghosbusters cereal. Classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cereal. Rocky Road. Ice Cream Cones. C-3PO's. Smurfberry Crunch. Mr. T cereal. Pac-Man cereal. Donkey Kong cereal. Count Chocula, Frankenberry, Boo-Berry, and Yummy Mummy. Anything that had a cartoon tie-in. They were all here. "And as a special treat, I got a certain fruit drink on tap. You know the one." Violet said as she pointed to the "No-Ghost" emblem on the Hi-C label. "You didn't." "I did. I totally did. Ecto Cooler on tap, my good man. ANNNND...I got a little something-something here!" She said as she opened a box filled with Hostess Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pies. Those sweet, flaky, pudding-filled, green icing covered treats I would have traded just about anything for back in middle school. Okay, I admit it. I was letting her wrap me around her finger with bribery that consisted of untold amounts of product placement. But...technically they were products that, by all practical purposes, weren't supposed to exist anymore. Still...I was letting her off easy. Gods I'm so naive. Well, nothing to do but claim no shame. Okay, Vi. I'm all in. I wonder if acknowledging that we were both nostalgia-obsessed trash made it any less face-palm-worthy? *sigh* If haven't said it before...I'll say it now. Don't just me. This is the environment I flourished in. I'm the King of Crossovers and a nostalgia guru at that. Guilty pleasures aside, what to do about Violet? "Violet...you've redeemed yourself. For at least a year or two." "I knew you'd see it my way--" "But any new transgressions still go on the list." "Aww...oh well. Take it or leave it; I guess I'll take it." "Pour me some of that GB cereal and a glass of that orange-and-tangerine green dream. And I'll take a pair of those pies." Asriel tried out the TMNT and became quite fond of the ninja nets and ninja marshmallows. Pit found himself alternating between good ole Nintendo Cereal System fruit and berry. Skeeter was down with the Mr. T. And Gadget enjoyed the Smurfberry Crunch. All this with all the cartoons we could fit into a day. It almost was like the golden days of Saturday Morning Cartoons and sugary cereals. Not the barren landscape it had become in modern times. If ever there was a high note to leave off on, this was it. A day of appreciating childhood...or rediscovering it. Until next time... Chapter 10 Back to Part 1 Back to Project: Lost Dreemurr